Clear, impassioned but never polemical

... thats what Variety stated about Ruth Beckermanns astute revisiting of the 1986 Waldheim affair that lead to the collapse of Austrias
comforting narrative of being the first nazi victim. Read more about the Austrians on the Berlinale screens.

THE WALDHEIM WALTZ by Ruth Beckermann

World premiere at the Forum on Feb 17, 2018With Austria currently the only West European nation since World War II governed by the far right, its time (heck, its
long past time) that someone of Ruth Beckermanns intelligence made a film investigating the countrys odious collective
whitewashing of its Nazi-era past.Thanks to her smart narration  clear, impassioned but never polemical  and the astute way she allows exceptional
footage to play out to its full extent, The Waldheim Waltz has a sense of urgency made more pressing given political
developments not just in Austria but Poland and Hungary as well.Jay Weissberg, VarietyBeckermanns Film zeigt, wie mit der ÖVP die Mitte der Gesellschaft, die Abgrenzung zu NS-Verbrechen und Antisemitismus aufgaben.Andreas Fanizadeh, tazBeckermanns Rekonstruktion ist schockierend, bewegend und erhellend.Der Film ist auch deswegen so interessant, weil er zeigt, wie Systeme von Macht und Rechtfertigung zusammenbrechen.Beckermann erinnert eindrücklich an das Ende eines kollektiven Selbstverteidigungssystems.Thekla Dannenberg, PerlentaucherBeckermann has an amazing eye for detail and a sense of humour, finding time not just for demonstrations or high-profile talk
shows that Waldheim visited on his never ending apology tour, but also signs of everyday rebellion.Marta Balaga, Cineuropa

STYX by Wolfgang Fischer

World premiere as the opening film of Panorama Special on Feb 16, 2018This new feature from Austrian-born director Wolfgang Fischer is a stark,impressively pared-back parable that leaves most of the big questions off-screen as it focuses on one womans impossible
position between following the orders of the frustratingly invisible coastguard  who tell her to stay completely out
of the matter beyond reporting it  and her sense of empathy and duty toward up to 100 human beings who might not survive
if no one intervenes in time.Boyd van Hoeij, The Hollywood Reporter

Styx offers no easy answers, or any answers at all for that matter. In one telling moment, Rieke pulls her sails to turn away
from the refugees she longs to assist, and we can hear their muffled cries carried over the wind. There may be little she
can do for those doomed by fate, but she must nevertheless bear witness to their existence.Ben Croll, Screen international